[csaa-forum] CFP/EOI Underbelly: A Critical Companion

[Melissa Gregg]

Call for chapters and expressions of interest
 
Underbelly: A Critical Companion
 
Edited by Melissa Gregg, Sue Turnbull & Jason Wilson

This book collection offers a critical companion to the Australian
television series Underbelly. Drawing on a range of perspectives ­ from
academics, journalists and critics to the show¹s production team and the
wider public ­ it provides a comprehensive account of Underbelly¹s
development, screening and reception. In doing so, it explores the social,
political and economic conditions that mark a successful program in the
landscape of Australian television.
 
A feature of this collection will be to showcase new partnerships developing
across media and cultural institutions in Australian screen industries. A
cross-section of work in contemporary media, journalism and cultural studies
will discuss key concerns for these fields, and leading critics will
illustrate the possibilities for contemporary screen studies analysis.
 
Writers, producers, actors and directors on each of the seasons to date are
invited to contribute to the collection and/or participate in interviews.
³Below the line² production staff and workers in affiliated areas (eg.
publicity for the series and its distributors) are particularly welcome.
Potential contributors for these formats should contact the editors before
submitting an abstract.
                   
Several of the chapters for the book are already commissioned, so the
purpose of this call is to fill gaps in scope. We seek chapters responding
to themes in each of the three seasons of Underbelly, such as:
 
-      underworld and criminal networks
-      white collar crime, including institutional corruption
-      the drug trade
-      commodity distribution and logistics
-      drug consumption (including comparative class demographics)
-      police culture and/or the politics of bureaucracy
-      tabloid media and the law
-      inter-state rivalry and cultural prejudice
-      the night time economy, including the privatization of security
-      sex work
-      migration and ethnicity (especially in relation to alternative and/or
leisure economies) 
-      cultural tourism and city branding
-      the politics of city space and suburbia
-      class and aspiration
-      ordinariness
-      masculinity and homosociality
 
Industry concerns for the book include:
 
-      screenwriting and adaptation
-      franchising in a global television market
-      state and corporate funding strategies
-      copyright and distribution (including the piracy threat)
-      ratings and advertising
-      casting and the Australian acting pool
-      the pedigree of successful production teams
-      prospects for Australian television careers
            
Potential chapter contributors are advised to read the following article for
further indication of the material of interest to this collection:
 
Melissa Gregg and Jason Wilson (2010) ³Underbelly, true crime and the
cultural economy of infamy² Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies
24 (3): 411-427
 
Abstracts for written chapters should be 250 words and should be sent to:
Melissa Gregg: melissa.gregg at sydney.edu.au
Sue Turnbull: S.Turnbull at latrobe.edu.au
Jason Wilson: jason.wilson at canberra.edu.au
 
Abstracts are due December 31.
 
Accepted chapters, of 5000 words maximum, will be due at the beginning of
April, 2011. 
 
Please feel free to pass this information on to others.
 
With best wishes,
 
Melissa, Sue & Jason
 
 

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